Whether Alive, Or In Death
by DamnI'mRandom
Summary: It's been four years that they've been together, and Sirius wants to take things to a different level. Will Remus say yes, or not? That is the question. Also featuring Lily and James in the accompanying roles of irritating friends! Two-shot. Rated for content - read to find out why. :D R&R, please!
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER – **I don't own any of the characters (obviously), cos if I did, I'd be fantastically rich and not writing fanfiction. Or maybe I would. Whatever. What I do own, however, is the crazy Uncle Nicolaus and the idea for this fic.

**WARNING – **SLASH. That means boy/boy sexual content. Don't like, don't read. Cheers!

**A/N – **This is a _sort of _sister fic to my earlier one, 'It's About Time!', but it isn't necessary to read that before reading this one. Enjoi!

X—x—x—x

**Whether Alive, Or In Death**

It was rare that one sighted Sirius O. Black, ex-prankster extraordinaire, in a proper tuxedo – a crisp, white dress shirt, a black tie, coat and trousers; the whole works. He'd even attempted to do something to tidy up his usually wayward hair, with the result that he looked completely a different person than the Sirius everyone knew, but not in a bad way. Rather than looking like the devilishly handsome bad-boy that every girl wanted (the way he generally looked), he looked every bit the sophisticated and charming gentleman he had been born as. Which was why, when Lily Evans (going-to-be Potter, if her dense boyfriend took the hint and produced a ring soon enough) entered the room, she didn't recognise the stranger sitting on the bed.

'_Sirius?' _she had gasped, looking stunned.

'The one and only,' Sirius had replied with his trademark cheeky grin. This time, however, there was a tinge of nervousness to it. Had he been younger, a teenager, he'd have made a remark about how handsome he looked and how he had the ladies eating out of his hand because of it.

However, he was older now, and this was hardly a regular occasion.

Sirius had been in a relationship with his fellow Gryffindor Remus Lupin for the past four years. They were travelling along at a smooth, slow and steady pace, hence Sirius' desire to take matters to the next step and make things more exciting. Sirius had been waiting for three years now, ever since they'd hit the legal age, and quite frankly, three years was a _long _time to wait, especially for someone as impatient as the young Black heir. All those who knew him well – namely his closest friends James Potter, Peter Pettigrew and Lily – were very surprised and a little shocked that he'd been able to hold back that long. But tonight, hopefully, the wait would be over.

Sirius Black was going to ask Remus Lupin to marry him.

As with all matters concerning him asking his boyfriend something important, Sirius was nervous. Uncharacteristically so. And when the raven-haired man was nervous, he fretted. A lot. This was the precise reason why he was fretting over his appearance and was moaning about it to his best friend (and brother in all but blood) James and James' girlfriend Lily.

'Nooooo… this tuxedo makes me look _fat_, James. I can _not _wear this in front of Remus when I'm going to pop the question to him!' he cried in despair.

In fact, he looked no such thing. As asserted before, he was looking like a tall, dashing, distinguished gentleman. He was just doing it so that James would compliment him and then Sirius would preen and say something along the lines of, 'Yesss… I _am _quite good-looking, aren't I, Prongsie dear? But don't let my Moonshine catch you saying that. You don't want to deal with a jealous werewolf. I speak from experience, and it's a real cautionary tale.'

'Padfoot,' his long-suffering friend sighed and presently said, 'Just stop it, okay, Remus loves you however you look. And you look perfectly fine, not a bit fat. Now go out there and mesmerise him.'

'_You!' _Sirius shook his finger at Lily, looking for someone to blame. 'It's all _your _fault I'm in this godforsaken piece of cloth. It doesn't do justice to my shapely arse! This was all _your_ idea, so _you_ shall suffer!'

'Me?' Lily enquired, pointing innocently at herself. 'What have I got to do with any of this?

'You're the one that forced me to wear the infernal thing!'

'So? You do look rather sexy, if I'm allowed to say that.'

'Thank you, mademoiselle. My Remy will be jealous, I'd be more careful if I were you.'

'But you're not.'

'I'm just saying – '

'Argh, just go down there already. You're getting late for your date. Hey, that rhymes. Anyway, they'll cancel your reservation if you don't leave now.' James interjected rudely.

'Fiiiine.' Sirius scowled. He traipsed down the stairs where Remus was waiting for him.

'What took you so-' Remus' breath hitched when he beheld the sight of Sirius before him '… bloody… long…?'

Back up on the steps, Sirius was reacting similarly.

'Remus…' he breathed. The handsome werewolf hadn't done much to himself. He'd worn a tuxedo too (the restaurant they were going to had a strict 'you-shall-wear-suit-and-tie' rule), had showered and had put on a rather large amount of cologne. He was holding the chocolate bar he'd been eating in his hand, and some of it was stuck on his lips. Sirius had a strong urge to lick it off him, and then to do quite a lot of other (ahem) things to his boyfriend. _Must. Practice. Self. Control. _

Steeling himself, he reached the foot of the stairs and whispered in the low voice that he knew drove Remus crazy, 'Why, Mr Moony, you seem to still have a bit of chocolate on your lips. Mind if I lick it off for you?' He smelled of something grassy (the smell of his cologne) and chocolate (obviously, plus there was no getting rid of the chocolaty smell around him, since he was obsessed with it and was always found eating it). Sirius had never thought that those two substances could go well together, but Remus smelled absolutely delicious to him.

The other decided that two could play this game. 'If you're good, Mr Padfoot, I'll reward you by showing you the entire chocolate factory and let you lick all the chocolate that's there later tonight,' he replied huskily.

Sirius shivered with delight, trying not to let out how aroused he was just by those words. He was seriously contemplating the option of taking Remus right there and then on the staircase, if not just to put that half-eaten bar of chocolate to good use, screw his reservation at that fancy Muggle restaurant. If he had his way, neither of them would be able to leave the house until well after midnight, when it would be too late. _Must. Practise. Self. Control! _Sirius scolded himself.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) for them, James and Lily decided to head downstairs at that precise moment.

_There go my plans of ravishing a chocolate-covered Moony, _thought Sirius wistfully.

'If you two are done eye-fucking each other from up close -' James said, grimacing slightly.

'You know, Prongs, just for that, we might just let you sit in on one of our intense – ahem – sessions, you'd get an exact idea of the things we get up to.' Remus grinned evilly.

'There's a lot of stuff involved – whipped cream, strawberries, even bananas – the fruit, idiot, although the other kind of bananas are obviously – ' Sirius supplied.

' – and then the neighbours, even though we've never formally introduced ourselves, know our names well enough by now, and occasionally they complain of too-loud noises emanating from the bedroom – '

'Aaahhhh, stop! Too much information!' James screamed, covering his ears.

'You mean to tell me, Jamsie-Poo, that _you_ have never regaled us with detailed accounts of your sexcapades with the not-so-sweet Miss Evans before?' Sirius smirked.

'_WHAT?! _James Potter, we are going to talk about this very soon, I thought you said that everything we do is confidential! And _sacred _to us!' Lily raged, her red hair gleaming.

'Oops.' James muttered.

'Well, we'd best be going now, cheerio!' Remus hastily said.

X—x—x—x

They left the squabbling couple to their, well, squabbling, and headed down the driveway.

'So, you've been pretty mysterious about tonight's date, Sirius. Would you mind telling me what we're going to do beyond that fancy dinner? And why today, of all days? You know that the full moon is only three days from today…'

'Yes, I would mind, as I'd like it to remain a surprise for you. And yes, I do know that, and I know that you're going to be fine, if a little on the snappy side.'

'Tell me, Siri, pleeeeeeease…' Remus whined.

'Great gods, Remy, you're whining just like me! I've obviously been a bad influence on you.'

'Obviously.'

With that, they held hands and twisted on the spot.

After a few painful seconds, Remus found himself in front of a big building covered with all sorts of blinding lights. The sign on its front said, 'The Ritz, Paris'.

'_The Ritz?! PARIS?!' _Remus gasped.

'Glad to know your eyesight's working well.'

'But that's…'

'It's the starting of our fifth year together today, Remus, I wanted to do something special.'

'How could I have forgotten?' the honey-haired man whispered remorsefully.

'If you hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to get the opportunity to treat you to a delightful dinner in the company of yours truly. Now, don't you dare beat yourself up over the fact that you forgot something as trivial as that. I know you've been stressed because of work, and honestly, I didn't expect you to remember, what with all those hard hours of work you've been putting in overtime at the Auror Office. I know that I'm the only one that can make you fully relax and have a good time, and it was just lucky that this date happened to fall on a Saturday.'

'You have an awfully high opinion of yourself, don't you?'

'Hey, it comes with the natural looks, talent and charm I've been blessed with. But you love me anyway.'

Remus snorted, then said, 'Of course.'

'Then take my hand, partner, and let us cruise elegantly into the restaurant and to our table. _Oui_?'

'_Oui, mon cher._'

'Oooh, _mon cher_ knows quite a bit of French, I see… smexy.'

'_Smexy?'_

'Yeah, it's a term I invented, only for you. I have a special term for how sexy you look all the time.'

'Mmhm. You done sizing me up like a pervert yet? We had a dinner reservation, if I'm not mistaken.'

'You look cute when you're blushing, which you are right now.' Sirius countered.

'Come on, Padfoot.' Remus grabbed his arm and led him into the hotel.

X—x—x—x

Throughout dinner, Sirius was, simply put, serious. Not once did he advance on Remus. Remus, on the other hand, was very surprised that he hadn't done precisely that.

The meal was excellent – the only strange thing was that it was English rather than French. The plus point about being an Englishman in France was that a Christmas meal could be procured even in the middle of April, and this included all of Remus' favourites. Yorkshire pudding, roast turkey and potatoes, carrots, peas, parsnips, cranberry sauce and, of course, the Christmas pudding.

There were also sprouts – Sirius had often questioned Remus' affinity for them, seeing that most people didn't like them. Sirius didn't, either, but he went along with whatever quirky traits that the werewolf had. According to him, these eccentricities made him more endearing, like the fact that he always slept on his side on the right, spooning Sirius, that he preferred his meat a little on the raw side for three days after the full moon, and that he ate one large square of the huge Honeydukes' chocolate bar they always kept at home, every hour. 'No wonder the chocolate ran out so quickly last time,' Sirius would quip whenever he caught Remus in the act.

Remus was very vocal in stating that he thought it was all a load of tosh, but he was secretly delighted that Sirius noticed so much about him. He felt so loved.

Sirius, on the other hand, opted for a dish more loyal to the Frenchmen – foie gras with a dash of lemon and just a sprig of coriander to garnish it. To top it all, he'd selected an excellent white wine which, although expensive, was well worth it.

When they were done, Sirius paid the bill and tipped the waiter rather heavily. The waiter winked at them and thanked him profusely.

Taking Remus' hand, Sirius led him out of the hotel and into the clear Parisian night.

'Ahh, this is the life. Don't you agree?' Sirius said contentedly.

'I could get used to this. Roast turkey all year long.'

'Not to forget the sprouts.'

'No, never forget those.'

There was a short pause in which they continued their leisurely stroll along the street, looking at the River Seine in the moonlight. It was beautiful.

'Mr Padfoot would like to offer Mr Moony a penny for his thoughts,' Sirius said, magicking a Muggle penny out of the air with his wand.

The other accepted it and said, 'I was just thinking about… well, it's been four years since we got together, Sirius. I still can't believe it.'

'You better.'

'Not that I'm complaining. It's just… so _surreal_ for me at times, even after all this while. Who'd have thought it'd work out so well between us? That we'd last this long?'

'Hey, hey… don't jinx it, love. Don't say things like that. Even though they're true. You wanna go see the other thing I've planned for tonight?'

'A romantic, moonlight cruise on the Seine at midnight?'

'Of course not. I'm not _that _cruel. Unless you _want _to – '

' – No.'

'I thought so. Come along, then, I'll take you there.'

X—x—x—x

The surprise was their visit to the Eiffel Tower. No trip to Paris is complete without paying homage to the exquisite iron tower designed so lovingly by Gustave Eiffel. As it were, the monument had become symbolic with everything French, and love too. Paris wasn't called the 'City of Love' for nothing.

'Wow.' Remus sighed when he caught his first glimpse of it. 'I've always wanted to roam around Paris with the love of my life, just walking without direction, taking in the beauty. It's like a dream come true.'

'I know.' stated Sirius simply, lovingly, fixing his arm around his boyfriend's waist.

'You know me so well.'

'That I do. Besides, what're boyfriends for but to pamper you? You deserve all this, and more.'

'Thank you.' Remus placed a chaste kiss on Sirius' lips.

'Don't thank me yet. The best is still to come.'

They reached the ticket booth, whereupon Sirius spotted the person he was looking for.

'Uncle Nicolaus!'

'Sirius, m'boy! So good to see you again. And this, I take it, is Remus Lupin?' said the large man in the stall, speaking in accented English.

'Pleasure, sir.' Remus said, bemused. He held out his hand and the other man shook it firmly. Somehow, 'Uncle Nicolaus' reminded him very much of their ex-Potions teacher, Professor Slughorn.

'Oh, please call me Nicolaus.'

'I forgot – Remy, this is my, well, uncle, Nicolaus. He's actually a very old friend of my uncle Alphard, and he's been very supportive after the – er – incident.'

The 'incident' was what had caused Sirius to leave home at the young age of sixteen. He had found shelter with the Potters, who'd been more than happy to take him in. That had been the arrangement for about a year and a half, until Sirius and Remus had got together and had got a place of their own as soon as they'd turned seventeen.

'Ahh, I see.' Understanding dawned on Remus' face.

'Well, I have your request readied, so you boys have fun, eh?' He winked.

'Thanks a lot.' Sirius hugged him quickly. 'You have no idea how much this means to me.'

'Oh, I think I do.'

'Come on, Remus!' Sirius beckoned.

'What'd he mean, "request"?' Remus asked once they'd left Nicolaus behind.

'You'll see.'

They reached the top of the tower, the last floor most normal visitors could go, fairly quickly by Muggle standards ('Seriously, though,' Sirius had complained, 'Why would anyone want to travel in a tiny, suffocating metal box? Why not just use brooms?' to which Remus had replied, 'Not everyone's as smart as you are, Sirius. They're Muggles, not as advanced as we are. Yet they're still pretty ingenious.'). However, the lovers had a different destination. Sirius Apparated with Remus to a small corner of land right below the tip of the tower. It had been converted into a balcony temporarily, albeit a small one, just enough for two people to sit comfortably (and stand, too) in.

'This is just… _whoa. _It's amazing. _How _did you manage all this?' Remus was stunned as he took his seat beside Sirius in their little corner of the world.

'Well, Uncle Nicolaus happens to know people, and I happen to know Uncle Nicolaus. I'm his favourite nephew, and he'd do anything to pamper me. Lucky, huh? Some of the people that I'm related to still like me.' Sirius said with a dry chuckle. He took Remus' hand.

Then there was silence. They gazed at the breathtaking view of the city spread out beneath them, wrapped up in their own bubble of peace and serenity. All the twinkling lights seemed like a sea of stars, but the brightest star of them all was sitting beside Remus. His handsome face looked beautiful in the light.

Suddenly, the star cleared his throat.

'I, erm…'

He cleared his throat again.

'Remus…?'

'Yes, Sirius?'

'I have to ask you something very important to me.'

'Okay…' Remus said cautiously.

As his silver eyes met Remus' amber ones, Sirius intertwined their fingers into a complicated pattern and began nervously, 'I-I don't have a long, elaborate speech for w-what I'm about to say to y-you, but I-I hope that you appreciate my words anyway.' He became confident quickly, taking this task in his stride. 'Moony, we have been best friends for nearly ten years now, lovers for four. Time does not matter to me, yet I want to spend the rest of mine, whether alive or in death, beside you. Will you, Remus John Lupin, make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?'

Remus, caught off guard, had unshed tears in his eyes. This was it. The big moment. After all this time. After all that they'd been through together. He got up, pulled Sirius up with him, hugged him and kissed him fiercely. There was just one word to be said now.

'Yes!'

X—x—x—x

'Yes?' asked Sirius, astonished.

'Yes! Of course I'll marry you, you prat!' Remus laughed lightly, carefree for once, as Sirius lifted him up in his arms and spun him around in elation. He threw his arms around Sirius' neck.

'Merlin, I love you, Remus. So much.' Sirius sighed as he put Remus back on the ground. He produced a simple gold band from his pocket and, taking Remus' hand, slipped it gently onto the ring finger, where it resized itself to fit Remus perfectly.

Remus gasped when he saw it. He was overwhelmed with emotion when he saw what was inscribed on the inside of the ring. Tears welled up unbidden in his eyes once again. The words read, '_The moon to my stars.' _

'And I love you.'

'Forever and always.'

Their bodies came together again, first softly, then with a great unfathomable passion that, even after four years, left them breathless. The kiss deepened, their tongues dancing elaborately in a rhythm equal to the beating of their hearts. Sirius reluctantly wrenched his lips from his lover's and placed them on his neck. He found the pulse point and began to suck on it greedily, savouring Remus' unique grassy/chocolaty taste, just like he'd wanted to back at home earlier on in the evening. Remus moaned low in his throat, and he tightened his grip on Sirius' hair with one hand, the other pulling him closer by the waist. This made Sirius' heart rate pick up even more, if that was even possible.

It was threatening to become more than just a kiss very soon, but Remus had the common sense to realise that the top of a tower two thousand metres high was not the ideal place to have mind-blowing sex (and sex with Sirius was always mind-blowing; also, he doubted that that thought hadn't crossed Sirius' mind before) for a werewolf who had a slight fear of heights. It had just been ten minutes, and Remus' tie was hanging loose and the top two buttons on his shirt were open. Sirius' long hair was ruffled from where Remus had clutched it, and he'd taken his own black tie completely off. His wandering hands had somehow found base near Remus' trouser waistline, tugging on the belt impatiently. An unfortunate bulge was growing in Remus' crotch region, and Sirius' talented hands promised to make all that go away. He pulled away nevertheless, dazed.

'Sirius,' he panted, 'Must get home. Now,'

Sirius groaned at the sudden lack of contact. 'What?' he muttered through his haze of lust.

'We can't… not here…'

'Why… oh yeah, forgot. Big height. Yeah. Home.' Apparently, their short 'exercise' had robbed them both of any coherent speech and they were now capable of speaking only in the simplest of sentences.

They quickly righted themselves and held hands. They turned on their heel in the cramped space and found themselves in the driveway of their home in London.

The lights were off. That was obvious, as it was well past midnight. They'd expected James and Lily to be asleep after having waited long for them to come home. When they opened the door, they found them lying fully clothed (thank Merlin) on the couch, unconscious, in a tangle of limbs, a peaceful expression on both their faces. It was a sight to make one go, 'Awwwwww!'

'Oi! We're ho-ome! sang Sirius, poking James hard in his stomach with his wand.

'Wha- wha's ha'pnin?' James sat up at once, startled.

'Get off your lazy arses, we're back. You were sleeping so deeply you didn't even notice us getting in.'

'Lily, hey Lil, wake up. The boys are back.' James shook Lily by her shoulders.

'Hmmmm? Hiiiiiiii. So howasit?' she asked groggily, rubbing her eyes with her hand and yawning.

'He said yes, Lily!' Sirius said, bouncing up and down in his excitement to tell her.

'I said yes, Lily.' Remus repeated, rolling his eyes, but smiling in his now-fiancé's direction.

'Wow! That's wonderful, Remus! Congratulations to both of you!' she cried, getting up off the sofa and hugging them both warmly.

'_Thank_ you, Lily.'

'Thanks, Red.'

'My brother's getting married! Isn't that just great. And I, of course, shall be the best man, and all the ladies will be swooning over me because I'm just so dashing…' James sighed, imagining the scene in his mind's eye.

'Hey!' Lily punched him lightly on his shoulder.

'What? I can't help the fact that they will…' he muttered.

Sirius let out his bark-like laugh, while Remus' smile widened and he put an arm around Sirius' waist and laid his head on his shoulder.

Seeing his best friends' complete happiness, James' mind drifted towards his own relationship with Lily. He knew she was impatient and wanted them to get married soon, but in truth, he just couldn't say the words. It wasn't that he didn't want to – he'd bought the small box with the diamond-studded ring in it ages ago. He had a severe problem with his nerves, which had resulted in him never seriously asking Lily out until the end of their fifth year. He, therefore, had no intention of proposing to her before the beginning of the next century, to say the least. This lack of nerves was the reason he admired Sirius a lot for his courage. Sirius, according to him, said it the way he saw it or felt it (while it'd taken the obtuse oaf a long time to realise that Remus was in love with him and even longer to act on it, the opinion still held). Even if he did get nervous (which was a rare occurrence), whatever was on his mind _would_ eventually come out, if in stutters and stammers. James, on the other hand, once nervous, shut up like a clam, and no matter how hard anyone coaxed him, he wouldn't be able to speak.

Leaving his thoughts aside, James said, 'Let's celebrate! An impromptu middle-of-the-night party would be nice.'

'Impromptu, huh? You've learned a lot of words from Lily.' Sirius' eyebrows were raised in amusement.

'Well yeah. The moment you start saying words like that, you _know_ you've been spending too much time around Lily. Or Remus, for that matter.' James inclined his head towards the lycanthrope.

'Touché. But no celebration is complete with a Marauder missing. Wormtail needs to be here too.' Remus said.

'Then I'll go over to his place to get him, and you guys get the Firewhiskey and stuff.'

'Brilliant plan, Potter. Except for one, tiny little ting – won't Pete be asleep at this hour?' Sirius was thinking _rationally? _Since when did he do _that?_

'I'll wake him up. See ya!'

He disappeared with a 'pop'.

'Soooooo… how did he do it, Remus?' Lily asked eagerly.

'I thought you already knew what he was going to do…'

'Not the details, though. Spill.'

'Weeeelllllllll… we went up to the Eiffel Tower, to a special balcony created just for us, and he proposed to me. I said yes, we kissed. The end.'

'What? I said _details!'_

'Sorry, no can do. That is between me and my love, isn't that right, Paddy dear?'

'Too true. Sorry, Red, but some things must stay… personal.' Sirius commented.

'Oh my God! You two didn't do… _it _on top of Eiffel Tower, did you?'

'Seriously, Lily? Of course not! I'm afraid of heights! Plus, that space was _tiny_! D'you really have _that _low an opinion of me?' Remus was irritated. He _did_ want to have sex right now and had thought of getting rid of the other two as soon as they got home, but count on Lily and James (_especially _James) to ruin their plans. He assumed Sirius was entertaining similar thoughts, judging by the frown lines on his forehead. And if they started now, they wouldn't be able to stop, thus effectively scarring James, Lily and (if he came by) Peter for the rest of their lives, and for the ones after, too.

'No! I mean, I trust _you _not to do anything stupid, but Sirius here, I don't trust _at all_.'

'Awh. I was hoping _that_ opinion would've changed.' Sirius pouted attractively.

'Uh huh. Not gonna happen. Let's go get that Firewhiskey, then.'

'Whatever.'

James reappeared at that moment. He had a crestfallen look on his face.

'Peter's _sleeping. _I tried to get him to wake up, but you know how he is,' he said, nodding towards Sirius and Remus. They completely agreed; he hadn't even stirred when they'd caused a commotion when they'd announced (or rather, Sirius had announced) that they were dating, in their sixth year.

'Well, that pretty much cancels our impromptu middle-of-the-night party, then?' Sirius asked hopefully.

'Alright, I see that look on your face. You want us out of here so that you and Remus can create some _ruckus, _don't you?' James smiled.

'YES!' they both half-yelled.

'No need to shout, we'll be going. C'mon Lil, we aren't wanted here. You two have fun.' he waved at them as he took his girlfriend's hand.

'Bye! Congratulations once again!' Lily blew them a kiss.

'Thanks!' Remus called out as they left with a small 'pop'.

X—x—x—x

'FINALLY! I was nearly dying of frustration!' Sirius cried.

'Yeah, it took them long enough to get the hint.'

'So… I was thinking… we could finish off what we started in Paris…'

'Well, I did promise you I'd show you the entire chocolate factory if you were a good boy… and I think you've earned your reward…'

'Yeah…'

Sirius smashed their lips together with bruising force, pushing Remus up against the wall of the living room. He peppered kisses all over his face and neck and tore at the buttons of his white shirt. Remus moaned loudly and caved in to his desire, kissing Sirius back with all of his considerable strength. They both drew impossibly close to each other so that they could feel each other's arousal. Sirius threw away whatever was left of Remus' best white shirt, now clawing at the trousers. The belt was undone, and all that was left now was the zipper.

Remus, on the other hand, was also making substantial progress in getting rid of Sirius' clothes. As soon as the trousers dropped down to ankle level, he slid down the underpants and took hold of Sirius' hardened length, and began to stroke it speedily with his long, talented fingers. He then took it into his mouth, gagging slightly because of the enormous size.

'Remus…' Sirius called out, while caressing Remus with his own hands, 'Not so… so… fast…'

Sirius flipped them over, so that Remus was bent over on the ground. He paused at Remus' entrance, took Remus' hand off his length and took it in his. He thrust his hips inside of Remus, as the other cried out his name in a mixture of pleasure and pain. He kept thrusting faster and faster, until he could feel that familiar boiling sensation inside his stomach. One final push was enough to undo him, and Remus as well.

'REMUS!' he shouted in ecstasy as he felt himself come inside of Remus.

A moment later, he slumped to the ground next to his lover, exhausted.

'That was… amazing.' Remus gasped.

'Yeah. It always is. I love you so much.'

'I love you too.'

They lay next to each other on the carpet, breathing heavily. All at once, Remus started laughing.

'What's so funny?' Sirius demanded.

'I'm getting _married_.'

'So?'

'To _Sirius Black._'

'You say it like it's a bad thing.'

'No, what I meant was… I've been dreaming about this ever since we started going out. And now it's finally happening.'

'Really?' Sirius rolled over on his side to look at his fiancé.

'Yeah, can you believe it? _I'm _getting married, to _you_.'

'I _can_ believe it. It's a wonderful feeling.'

'I know.'

Both of them just lay there in silence, drifting off to sleep, as the sun rose over the horizon. It symbolised a new beginning, a new chapter in their lives. Come what may, they would always have each other.

X—x—x—x


	2. Chapter 2

**The song featured: **'Gone Too Soon' by Simple Plan

X—x—x—x

The weather was ghastly as it was the middle of winter. The wind howled and whipped Remus' hair to his face. He was standing in the middle of a clearing in a forest. Tears streamed down his face. In front of him was a magnificent oak tree with words engraved on it. In his hand was a single rose.

'Sirius.' He said throatily. 'Hey. I hope you're happy… wherever you are.'

He was being polite, not letting his inner torrent of grief and anger show. It'd been a year since Sirius had died, disappeared beyond the veil. The past twelve months had been hard on Remus. He was emotionally drained out.

_Hey there now, where'd you go?_

_You left me here, so unexpected._

_You changed my life, I hope you know,_

_Cos now I'm lost, so unprotected._

'So, um, how is it up there – or down below?' He chuckled weakly. 'I just wanted to let you know – I'm getting married. To Tonks. During the summer. I know you told me to marry again if you died, so that's what I'm doing. She's nice enough – understanding, supportive, fun-loving. But… she isn't you.'

Remus sunk to his knees on the ground, head held in his hands, crying quietly as the snow fell around him, cold and unforgiving.

_In the blink of an eye,_

_I never got to say goodbye…_

_Like a shooting star flying across the room, _

_So fast, so far, you were gone too soon._

_You're a part of me, and I'll never be the same here without you…_

_You were gone too soon._

Scenes from his and Sirius' life, before Voldemort had ruined it, flashed before his closed eyes. Sirius and him sitting together in their house, laughing at a joke James had just told them. The two of them holding hands, strolling through a garden they'd visited in Wales. Sirius proposing to him on top of the Eiffel Tower. And their wedding – that one day of pure happiness.

Until the fateful day when Peter had betrayed them. Sweet, innocent Peter had betrayed James and Lily and their young son Harry to the Dark Side. Sirius had been framed for the crime, and everything had gone downhill from there.

Azkaban, their painful separation – Remus remembered it all like it had happened yesterday. He'd visited Sirius frequently during the first few years, had watched helpless as the life slowly drained out of his lover. After a while, he couldn't bear to see him in that state anymore, so he'd stopped visiting.

_You were always there, like a shining light,_

_On my darkest days, you were there to guide me. _

_And I miss you now, I wish you could see_

_Just how much your memory will always mean to me…_

They had been finally reunited after long. The look in Sirius' eyes the first time Remus met him after he escaped from Azkaban haunted him in his nightmares for a while. Was this the same Sirius Black he'd known? He'd been broken from the inside.

For a while, it had been rocky. They were awkward, kept secrets from each other. But once they'd rediscovered their spark, there was no stopping them. Everything came out into the open.

It had been too good to be true, and Remus had constantly been on his guard. Once he'd settled down and relaxed a little, however, was the time that the Universe decided that Remus was never to be happy in his entire lifetime. Bellatrix Lestrange had killed Sirius, and he'd fallen through the veil in the Department of Mysteries.

Sirius had always been there for him, through the good, the bad and the ugly. He'd accepted him like no-one lese had, when he'd found out that he was a werewolf. He'd even tried to make the rough transformations easier for him by becoming an Animagus. He'd done so much good for everyone he loved, yet he'd been taken away from him for the second time, this time permanently.

_In the blink of an eye, _

_I never got to say goodbye…_

_Like a shooting star flying across the room, _

_So fast, so far, you were gone too soon._

_You're a part of me, and I'll never be the same here without you…_

_You were gone too soon._

He got up off the now snow-covered ground and laid the blood-red rose at the base of the tree. He formulated the words in his mind, trying to let Sirius' spirit – for he could sense it all around him – know exactly how he was feeling. No secrets, right?

'Sirius, I'm breaking apart. I don't know what I'm doing. This last year… it's been hard to accept that you're truly _gone_, Sirius. No matter what I do, I just don't have it in me anymore. I don't have anyone left – you're gone, James, Lily, Peter – everyone's _gone_. Tell me what to _do, _Sirius! You said forever and always, you said you'd _always _be there for me, but you aren't now! How am I supposed to carry on?' he sobbed angrily.

He stood alone, ankle deep in the snow as it milled around him – the beginning of a snowstorm.

A figure watched him from behind a tree, drawing closer to him with caution. Upon further inspection, the figure turned out to be Nymphadora Tonks. She put her hand on Remus' hunched shoulder lightly. She pulled him into her arms, into love, support, and comfort – everything that defined her. He sunk into them, simply shuddering from both the cold and his awry emotions. He put his head on her shoulder.

They both said nothing, just stood there, looking at the oak in front of them.

Remus prided himself on being able to keep his face an emotionless mask no matter what he felt, but this time, it had been too much. Everything about Sirius always made him feel like that, like he was an open book – so raw and vulnerable, whether alive, or in death.

At long last, the metamorphmagus spoke.

'You really miss him, don't you?' she said quietly. It was a rhetorical question. They both knew the obvious answer.

'Remus, listen to me. Sirius is, and always will be, an integral part of who you are. And you know what he'd want you to do if he were here? _He'd want you to carry on living. _He'd want you to go out there and help put an end to all this, so that there's peace once again in the world, so that everyone can live their lives without fear. And you can't do that until and unless you accept the fact that you're honouring his memory by _moving on._'

Remus nodded, swallowing. Despite the fact that he still felt completely grief-stricken , a new resolve was blossoming within his chest. He dried his tears and looked Tonks straight in the eyes. He saw nothing but affection and concern for him in them.

_Shine on, shine on,_

_On to a better place,_

_Shine on, shine on,_

_I'll never be the same…_

_Like a shooting star, _

_Flying across the room_

_So fast, so far,_

_You were gone too soon,_

_You're a part of me, and I'll never be the same here without you,_

_You were gone too soon._

He squared his shoulders and stood up straight. Gazing once again in the direction of Sirius' tree, he touched his numb fingers to his lips, and then pressed them to the words 'Sirius Black' engraved on the tree. He whispered achingly, lovingly,

'Happy birthday, Sirius, my love.'

X—x—x—x

**Dun-dun-duuuun! That's it! Sad and **_**really **_**short, I know, but Inspiration strikes rarely these days, and **_**schoooooool **_**struck. I barely had time for anything until now. But this idea was in the back of my mind since FOREVER. And this song was just **_**begging **_**to be used. **


End file.
